SAT/ACT Update: ACT Loads Up the Calendar, SAT at Home Stalls

The college admissions test companies continue to struggle with providing access to testing across the country. With many members of the Class of 2021 still lacking scores and the Class of 2022 gearing up to test this fall, the pressure is on for testing to be widely and safely available.
​
The companies are responding to the crisis with mixed results so far, but both are promising to deliver more testing capacity this fall and winter.

SAT Status

Here’s the latest on the SAT tests for the fall:

• Students were last able to take an SAT in March. As of now, the August 29 test is still scheduled to proceed nationally. The College Board added a new test date of September 26, meaning students will potentially be able to test several more times in 2020. College Board has also said they will add a January 2021 test date if demand remains high.
• Registration is now open for all students for the fall and spring dates.
• After the controversial Advanced Placement exam administrations in May, College Board has opted to delay any remote administering of the SAT at this time. The SAT At Home solution had been scheduled to make its debut in early 2021. This delay puts tremendous pressure on College Board to provide an in-person solution for their test.
• Test locations in areas impacted hardest by the virus this spring are reporting their upcoming test dates are nearing full capacity.
• The College Board issued a statement asking that schools extend their deadlines for score results, and if possible, to give student applications full consideration if they were unable to submit a test score.
• The next scheduled test dates are August 29, September 26, October 3, November 7, and December 5.
  
• For students hoping to take SAT Subject Tests, the August exam is still an option.

ACT Status

The ACT administered tests in 45 states in June, but only at a limited number of centers. Most students who were registered were unable to take the test, meaning that for most rising seniors, the last time they were able to test was February. With applications due in the late fall and winter, many students are pressed for time to get new scores on the record.

Here’s what we know about your future opportunities to take the ACT this year:
​

• The next test date will be July 18. All of our students’ test centers have now canceled, and those still open are not in the immediate area. Like the June test, we expect limited testing to occur across the country for the July ACT.
• In late June, ACT announced several new test dates for 2020 and opened their Sunday testing dates to all students. There will be up to 12 test dates available for students needing to test before fall 2021. ACT is now working with test centers to confirm which ones can support the new dates. They will announce an updated list in late July and open up registration for all of the fall dates at that time. They are also working to add new test center locations separate from their existing network, which is mostly made of public schools.
• ACT has postponed the rollout of their section retesting program to free up seats for students who have not been able to test at all yet. Section retesting will allow a student to retake a portion of the test in hopes of raising their section and composite scores. ACT still plans to roll out retesting later in 2021 if possible.
• ACT has put its online testing/remote proctoring plans on hold until sometime in 2021. Act is now under tremendous pressure to get physical locations (old and new) available to administer the test. We will have more details on the remote testing solution when they are available.

What Should You Do to Prepare for Upcoming Admissions Tests?

Even with the uncertainty around test availability, we still recommend you get prepared for the next available date.
​

1. Take an SAT and an ACT diagnostic test to see which test better suits your knowledge and abilities. We recommend taking these 8-10 weeks before your test date.
2. After selecting your test, schedule out a prep plan that starts 4-6 weeks before your test.
3. Register for the test date. If it is SAT, the dates are open now. For ACT, they will open in a few weeks.
4. Normally we would advise clients to register for two test back-to-back if possible, especially with all of the extra test dates this year, but we are actually recommending you pick a second date that is a at least a month later than your first in hopes that the second will have a higher likelihood of occurring. If your first gets canceled, you still have another date already secured, and you can roll your cancelled reservation into another possible test date.

Get Prepped Quickly in August

Everest is offering our SAT and ACT prep classes in one-week courses in August. These focused classes provided a great value for students needing to prepare for the upcoming summer and fall tests. Seating is very limited. Contact us today to reserve your seat.

​Ready to get started sooner? Private tutoring is available seven days a week to meet your schedule and is available online and in-person. Contact us to get a customized plan for your test prep needs.